


Glass Eye

by TK_DuVeraun



Series: Legacies (SW:TOR) [8]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Family Drama, Gen, Original Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-01-31 14:56:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12684159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TK_DuVeraun/pseuds/TK_DuVeraun
Summary: Ian Baker was man. A husband and a father.Was.Now, he's a Sith.---Post-series short story from Legacies.





	1. Intentionally Boring

**Author's Note:**

> This story concerns places and characters established in Legacies. For full understanding, please read the entire series first.

Ian Baker was a happy, gentle, unassuming man no one would take a second look at. Sith Lord Brauven is none of those things. His most striking feature is the varactyl head he wears as a half-mask. The scales are the light blue of the summer sky and the plumage is a riot of pink and purple feathers.  It casts a long shadow over his mouth and jaw, though it doesn’t cover them. Ian’s left eye used to be brown, but was turned yellow by Sith Corruption years ago. No right eye peeks out of the second socket. Instead, the shadows under the scaled ridge are obstructed by only a brightly glowing Ancient Sith rune.

The second notable thing is neither his nor even strictly a thing. Behind each shoulder walks one of his assistants. Sol and Luna are both beautiful twi’lek women with sharp black lines swirling down the length of their lekku. Sol’s skin is a deep red that pairs well with Luna’s dark blue tone. They’re both visibly armed with expensive blasters and wicked daggers that glow softly with the Force.

Ian’s ornate Sith robes are simply boring by comparison. Not that anyone on Olkin II is giving him anything but the most furtive of glances. Ian pulls a gloved finger down his lips as he watches the civilians go about their tasks. The rune where his eye should be flickers. “Is it just me, or is there something odd about this place?”

“They do seem particularly skittish, master,” Sol answers. 

“They also seem more boring than usual. I can hardly focus on any individual,” Luna adds. She squints and turns her head to make a show of tracking one man in the traffic.

“How peculiar,” Ian says. He steps out onto the main pedestrian thoroughfare and the sea of people part before him, but as Sol observed, they startle with large movements and scramble to lower their eyes with rare speed. Ian keeps up a steady pace as he walks through the locals. When he finally stops, it’s to sit on a bench in what seems to be the city center. The rune in his face changes and his body stops all movement.

Sol and Luna exchange a glance before they both sigh audibly and settle on the bench. They chat through him for a while before they fall into silence. Then they fiddle with well-worn datapads for a time. Then Luna pulls out a holounit and they take turns holding it between them, and thus in front of Lord Brauven, while they watch a holofilm. It’s a trashy romcom and instead of laughing, they spend the duration insulting the characters and their decisions.

After three hours, Sol gently shakes Ian’s shoulder. “Master, you need to eat.”

The rune flickers back to its original shape and Ian tilts his head from side to side. “Do I?”

“Yes,” Luna answers. Both women stand and wait patiently for the Sith to rise.

Ian follows Sol’s directions to a restaurant she looked up while he was mentally elsewhere. He can’t taste food anymore, so even if he didn’t trust her taste, it wouldn’t matter. The host freezes in terror at the sight of him, but Ian just waits for the poor man to recover before gesturing at Sol and Luna. “I need seats for my assistants, as well.”

The Sith sits and changes the rune again. Suddenly, Ian can see the host’s past. It plays through his fake eye like a silent holofilm. The man stands around a great deal waiting either for patrons to arrive or tables to empty. He spends most of his free time with a man that looks to be his brother. Ian flips through the scenes like pages in a book. The host’s brother is a Force Sensitive, but not a Sith. It would be surprising if he hadn’t seen the same thing in the pasts of nearly half the people on Olkin II.

Luna shakes his shoulder when the food arrives and Ian dutifully eats what’s put in front of him. It’s plated nicely, very decorative. It would have been a once-a-year kind of treat, back when he was still Ian Baker and not Lord Brauven. His two assistants eat with gusto, so it probably tastes at least close to how it looks. The other patrons are tense and he sees them glancing at him out of the corners of their eyes.

After the proprietor, a nervous, mousy zabrak, sees them out, Sol and Luna both turn expectant stares on him. Sol asks the question for both of them. “Why are we even here? This planet is boring and we have better things to do.”

Ian looks between them and after seeing that they’re in agreement, he waves his right hand and speaks a quick Sith spell. The twi’leks shudder and blink a few times before their faces morph into identical scowls as the Force influence over them is removed. “It seems Lord Aucht isn’t fond of visitors. I believe that is reason enough to remain.”

\---

Two days later, Ian finds what he’s looking for. It’s a who, rather than an it. A little, yellow twi’lek girl with a pink silk flower serving as an eyepatch over her right eye. She’s playing with similarly-aged children in a fenced off playground attached to a large school complex. 

The supervising adults have reached a near fever-pitch level of tension. They spend more time watching Ian than the children, which is understandable. He’s a Sith, several of the children are Force Sensitive, the safe assumption is that he plans to take them to Korriban at best.

Ian is still sifting through the girl’s past when the presence of another Sith draws him out of the technique. He turns to see a Sith with black and green robes and a full face mask. Not that the mask can hide anything from Ian’s kybar crystal of an eye. He glances at just enough of the Sith’s past to see his face.  _ My, my, the twin of Darth Vallen’s paramour. This just becomes more interesting _ . He blinks and his vision returns to the present place and time and he eyes the Mandalorians flanking the Sith.

They’re in full armor and though they’re painted different colors, both sets have the same stylized gemstone on the left pauldron. One is an older human with greying brown hair and the other is younger and blond. Both are unremarkable at a glance of their pasts, though the older man looks familiar.

Sol discreetly jabs him in the back to signal that he’s taking too long.

“Lord Aucht, I presume? I am Lord Brauven.” Ian bows with a flourish, the feathers on his mask swaying with the movement.

“Lord Brauven… I see. Come. Let us not conduct our business in public.” Lord Aucht turns and walks away without waiting to see if Ian agrees.

_ I suppose he knows I don’t have a choice. This is his planet and while I can turn him in for treason, he can at least kill me in revenge. _ “Luna, Sol, return to the hotel.”

“Not a chance.”

  
  



	2. Balance

Lord Aucht’s office is in the capitol building in the city center. It’s a tall building with windows instead of walls and ringed by delicate statues and intricate topiaries. The entire thing was no doubt created by some of the Force users that call Olkin II home.

Ian can feel Sol and Luna tensing the further they go into the building. It’s never smart to enter another Sith’s lair, but the entire colony is under Lord Aucht’s control, so Ian has no reservations going in deeper. He flicks through the other Sith’s past as he follows behind. He has difficulty finding any instances of Lord Aucht actually  _ using _ the Force, though the people around him show some level of respect or deference. Ian knows he’s at a disadvantage. His talent with the Force is limited almost exclusively to information gathering. He can perform rituals, but Sol and Luna are his only defense in combat.

And Mandalorians are probably more than their match.

Lord Aucht finally leads them into an office designed to maximize intimidation. The windows are covered with heavy black drapes that are embroidered with red thread so dark it’s nearly invisible. The only light sources in the room are low to the ground and positioned to cast dramatic shadows when Lord Aucht sits in his throne-like chair. The chair opposite him is a simple, wooden thing, but Ian is sure it’s specifically designed to be uncomfortable and unstable on the floor.

Ian takes the seat and turns his attention to the pasts of the Mandalorians. He’s only just seen the younger man using Force telekinesis when Lord Aucht finally speaks.

“What business do you have here?”

The rune changes back. Ian tilts his head forward. “Rather direct of you.”

“Why play games? You’re in my power.”

“Then why the parlor tricks?” Ian gestures to one of the lamps.

“I like them,” Lord Aucht replies. Though he doesn’t move, the drapes pull back and the lamps raise and brighten. “Why are you here?”

Ian weighs his options.  _ Curiosity _ is never a good answer. Either the asker is unsatisfied or the asker has secrets they don’t want known. Usually both. He also doesn’t quite know what’s going on with Olkin II. Surely, Lord Aucht knows the colony is crawling with Forcers. Likely, he knows that his twin brought the twi’lek here girl, but why? To protect her? “I want the girl.”

“The girl.”

Ian gestures to Luna, who leans forward and says, “A young twi’lek by the name of Philaciel.”

Lord Aucht taps the metal tips of his gloves against the surface of his desk. “What makes you think I will allow you to simply take one of my people?”

“The fact that identical twins are either both Sensitive or neither and Darth Vallen’s lover is clearly no Sith,” Ian says. He braces himself for Lord Aucht to assert his presence in the Force and isn’t disappointed.

Lord Aucht doesn’t give a verbal response immediately. The light from the lamps flickers, though he’s clearly holding back. At length, he goes back to tapping his fingers on the desk and the tick-tick-tick of metal on wood is the only audible sound in the room.

Audible because Ian assumes the Mandalorians are talking to at least to each other through their helmets. He leans back and makes himself as comfortable as he can in a chair intentionally designed to be uncomfortable. He glances at Sol and she responds with an eye roll and a sigh. Her expression is familiar and Ian translates it to “I hope you didn’t get us killed this time.”

Finally, Lord Aucht activates the comm unit on his desk. A holo of a sharply-dressed Imperial appears and salutes. “Captain Mardh.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Go to the Academy and collect a girl by the name of Philaciel and her things. Bring her to my office.”

“At once, my lord.”

Lord Aucht deactivates the unit and returns to tapping. “Are you quite satisfied?”

“I want assurance you won’t kill me when I leave.”

The other Sith signals to the older Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian nods and takes a step forward before saying, “You have my word that my people with neither harm nor hinder you in any way until such a time as we serve on a new contract or Lord Aucht changes his orders.”

Ian may spend most of his time watching others’ pasts, but he’s not stupid. It’s a rather blatant farce, as they go, so he thinks Lord Aucht is testing him. “What a funny thing that your brother and I lost the same eye. Mine, of course, went to the Inquisitors.”

“You’re very heavy-handed.”

“I rarely interact with Sith I don’t intend to kill.” Ian pauses and strokes the scales on his mask. “Darth Vallen being another exception.”

“I’ll not have you killed. For this.” Lord Aucht continues to tap the sharp claw tips on his gloves.

The door flies open and reveals a green mirialan women without tribal tattoos. Her face is flushed and she’s panting for breath. She braces her hands on her knees. “You can’t do this Aucht. She’s just a little girl.”

Lord Aucht doesn’t turn away from Ian. “Vas, please see this young woman back to the Academy.”

When the younger Mandalorian approaches her, the young woman looks up at him and says, “Don’t touch me.” Her voice is firm and the command is backed by enough Force that Ian can feel it in the air, even though the Mandalorian doesn’t hesitate.

He takes her by the arm and tries to gently pull her away, but the woman struggles. It’s clear the Mandalorian doesn’t want to hurt her more than he wants to get her out of the office.

“No! I won’t allow it! Take me instead, Sith!” the woman shouts and while this command also carries the weight of the Force, Ian is similarly unaffected.

The rune in his eye changes as Ian tries to examine her. He’s intrigued by her Force ability, ineffective though it is.  _ Perhaps she just lacks proper training… _ He intends to check her past for training from Lord Aucht or another, but his vision remains stubbornly natural. Ian frowns.

Sol and Luna notice the change in his expression and tense on either side of him. They obviously look between the woman and the Mandalorians, though they smartly keep their hands away from their weapons.

Ian stands and steps towards her, though his ability still doesn’t activate. He raises his hand to Sense her, but she’s definitely not an illusion, so he can’t think of any reason it wouldn’t work. He’s reaching out to touch her when Lord Aucht speaks.

“Brauven. You wanted the girl. You’ll get the girl. And  _ only _ the girl.”

“Uncle,  _ please _ , you can’t let him take Phila!”

Ian touches the woman’s arm, but still he sees none of her past. He turns his head to Lord Aucht. “If she wants to take the child’s place, let her.”

“Your desires are capricious.”

“I don’t have a green one in my collection, either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy this character. He's extremely powerful, but in a very specific way that keeps it from being too useful.


	3. Noticing

“Sorry about him,” the blue twi’lek starts.

“We don’t know what he wanted with the little girl,” the red one continues.

“And we certainly don’t know what he wants with  _ you _ ,” the blue one finishes.

They’re on Lord Brauven’s ship. The Sith disappeared into his private rooms the moment they boarded. Alida had just followed the twi’leks. Now that the immediacy of saving Phila is gone, the fear’s set in. She’s bargained away her freedom and probably her life. Though she’s nearly shaking in fear, she wouldn’t change things to put Phila in her place. Alida bites her lip. “So what happens now?”

“We’re going back to his estate on Azure. He’ll forget about you in a few weeks, if he hasn’t already. Then we’ll send you home.” The red twi’lek shrugs, looking unconcerned. “You don’t have any reason to trust us, but he won’t hurt you anymore than he already has.”

“I suppose that’s… good.” Alida rubs her eyes and tries to relax, but the stress is tight and heavy on her shoulders. “I’m Alida, I guess.”

“I’m Luna,” the blue twi’lek says. “And this is Sol.”

Alida looks between them for a moment. “You’re both pretty… nonplussed, considering.”

Sol shrugs and plops down on one of the couches. “Master’s been like this the whole time we’ve known him. He just decides to go places and do things and never explains.”

Luna nods her agreement. “He’s not all there, but people are used to Sith acting erratically, so it’s not as if anyone ever makes him explain.”

Alida’s feet move without consulting her brain and she suddenly finds herself sitting in a squishy armchair opposite the couch where Luna is sitting. The tension in her muscles has eased somewhat, but the fear remains and she feels…  _ Empty _ . “Can I call Lord Aucht? He- Well, that is, he won’t take well to me being taken.”

The twi’leks make eye contact and seem to have a silent conversation, though for all Alida knows, they do. Eventually, Sol speaks, “If master sees you communicating with anyone, it could remind him of why he took you.”

Alida bites the inside of her cheek. “But he’s… doing some Sith thing now, isn’t he?”

“He can see inside your mind.”

“Oh.” Alida tugs on the end of her braid. “So I should just wait and hope for the best?”

“Pretty much,” Luna says. “But hey, we’ve got a lot of holofilms, so it’s not the worst kidnapping in the galaxy.”

\---

Even though Sol and Luna seemed apathetic towards most things, Alida and their master included, they are holofilm aficionados. Alida is  _ shocked _ by their change of demeanor once the films start. They know all of the actors, all of the producers and directors and most of the other associated staff. Alida doesn’t even know what most of those words  _ mean _ , but the twi’leks are more than happy to teach her about their one true passion.

Among the wealth of holofilm trivia, Alida learns that despite their perfect skin and physical strength, they’re actually almost fifty years old. They’d been slaves owned by Lord Brauven’s master and after Lord Brauven killed the old Zabrak they simply stayed in the mansion for lack of anywhere else to go. They hadn’t had any marketable skills, Alida assumes there’s an unspoken ‘That we were willing to use’ given how beautiful they are. It took an entire year for Lord Brauven to realize they were still there, at which point he just kept throwing credits at them assuming they’d go start a new life elsewhere once they had enough.

But they  _ liked _ the luxuries the old Sith mansion provided, so they used the money to pay for education and combat training. Two years after the death of their last owner, they found Brauven unconscious and nearly comatose in the office he’d claimed. Luna shivers at the memory when she recalls it and Sol looks like she’s going to be ill. Apparently, Brauven had been on Death’s door with only the Force sustaining him because his body no longer told him when it was hungry or thirsty. Lacking any other motivation, the women had decided to take care of him and now here they were, some twenty years later.

Alida tries to hide her dumbfounded expression, but she might have saved the effort since the other women are back to concentrating on the holofilm. The only experience Alida has with Sith is Lord Aucht, Darth Vallen, Sebastian and Fox and the latter two don’t even count. She knows that not all Sith are corrupted by the Dark Side, but it’s still strange to have found another.  _ Or the Will of the Force, I suppose _ .

Lord Brauven isn’t a  _ good _ person, according to Sol and Luna. He doesn’t go out of his way to save people, though sometimes someone being saved is the result of his actions. Alida isn’t the first person he’s kidnapped, but the others are all gone, supposedly sent away when Sol and Luna got bored of babysitting them  _ and _ Lord Brauven.

When they arrive at the mansion on Azure, Alida doesn’t know why she’s surprised by the full-sized holotheater. She ends up spending most of her time there simply because it’s the only place on the grounds she can interact with any other people. The mansion is staffed by a near-army of droids that do the cooking, cleaning and even a set that rearrange the furniture every few days.

She’s watching one of the many film versions of the Echani opera “The Seven Sisters” when Lord Brauven enters the theater.

He stands silently behind the cushy chairs the women are sitting in until the song ends. “I thought you didn’t like this version, Luna.”

Luna absentmindedly takes a bite of a flakey raspberry pastry. “I don’t. You know Sol fancies Yaro Zalla.”

“He’s the one who played Sunshine, yes?”

Sol throws a handful of crackers at the other twi’lek. “Oh hush, you.”

“As long as we watch something else after he gets killed off,” Luna sends back.

“Be nice. Now, you… Alida. Yes. Come with me.”

As the Sith says the words, Alida feels freezing water crash over her. She’s been pretending she’s just on holiday with some eccentric old women, but the reality didn’t want to stay hidden. Heart in her throat, Alida tries to control her shaking and nods.


	4. Sith

Lord Brauven’s personal wing is floored with black and blue marbled tile. The walls are paneled with real wood and traces of Force flicker along them. Some are the remnants of long-forgotten curses, but some are fresh and crackle as Alida walks by. She shivers, uncomfortable despite how weak her ability to feel the Force is. When they arrive in his sitting room, Alida shakes and clenches her hands into fists to keep them as steady as possible. She sits in the chair she’s directed to, but it feels like a bed of nails.

Lord Brauven sits opposite her and signals for the serving droid to bring them drinks. Then he removes his mask. His right eye is a black crystal with a red rune glowing in the center. It’s ringed with tattoos of other runes and the scars from the original wound are black. His left eye is no longer the unnatural Sith yellow, but brown. He takes a steaming mug from the droid. “What is your gift?”

Alida eyes the second mug and holds her breath when she picks it up to keep her hand from shaking. She takes a moment to smell the drink and feels a touch of calm from the familiar scent of hot caf. “I can mind trick people. It… worked on everyone. Even Lord Aucht. It must have just… faded, since it didn’t work on you or that Mandalorian.”

“That Mandalorian is a Forcer. Family of Sith, raised on Tython and then…” Lord Brauven shakes his head. “He has a confusing past. And he is immune to most Force abilities, it seems.”

Alida stares at the Sith. Not because she’s confused about the Mandalorian, she’ll think about that later. No, she’s just never met a Sith outside of Aucht that would speak so casually, reveal so much, even if about someone else.

“As for why it didn’t work on me, I do not know,” he continues. “However,  _ my _ ability didn’t work on  _ you _ , so I think it’s unwise to assume your ability is the problem.”

“What?” Alida nearly drops the mug. She’s  _ never _ heard a Sith admit a weakness. For a moment, she wonders if she’s imagining things.

“My ability.” He taps the rune under his fake eye. “I can view the past of anyone I meet. Rather, their past enters my mind and I can search through it. I can see Aucht speaking with you throughout your childhood, but I gained nothing of your past from  _ you _ .”

“I… Uh…” Alida trails off. She wants to ask if that’s why he took her, but she assumes that and it’s possible he’ll tell her the truth. It’s nothing something she wants to waste. “Why did you want Phila?”

The Sith shakes his head and takes a drink of caf. “I didn’t, but if I’d demanded nothing from Aucht, he would have been more suspicious and aggressive. Doubtless, he’d known everything I did and everywhere I went while on-world and the girl was the quickest lie I could think of that would be consistent.”

“...Oh.” Alida is still shocked by the candor, but decides she should try to take advantage of it. “Why  _ were _ you on Olkin II, then?”

Lord Brauven leans back in his chair and strokes the light-blue scales of his mask. “Darth Vallen helped me acquire the varactyl head. When I searched through her past I saw her and Aucht’s twin. They delivered the girl to Olkin II. I can only  _ see _ the past, I can’t hear what’s said. I wanted to know what would happen to her.”

“You were trying to make sure she was safe?”

“If it was convenient. I can’t risk myself needlessly. “

“She’s safe on Olkin II. She’s just living at the Academy until she’s adopted. It won’t be long, we’re all very close.” Alida sips from her mug.

“Were you born on Oklin II?” He pauses with his mug half-raised to his mouth. “That’s not rude, is it? I haven’t had to ask anyone things in a long time.”

“If you saw Aucht’s past…”

“I can only see back so far.”

“Oh. Well, no. Aucht found me in the estate of a rival he killed. I was Phila’s age. He brought me Home and I was adopted a few months later.” Alida shifts in the chair and realizes that she’s relaxed without noticing. She lets herself sink into the plush cushion.

“No family, then? I suppose that explains why you don’t have the tattoos.”

Alida touches her face. “My father was human and my mother mirialan, obviously, but that’s all I know. I always hoped I’d find out who she was and then I’d get her marks. It’s just… The Empire’s killed so many mirialan women and taken their babies. I can’t find her.”

Lord Brauven stands, then. He steps up to Alida and tilts her chin up. He examines her face and tilts it to each side before releasing her. “My memories from before the Eye are muted and fuzzy. Drowned out by crystal-clear images gifted to me by my ability.”

Alida freezes, her breaths coming in short and shallow. Her eyes follow him back to his seat, but he says nothing else, just leaves her in fear and confusion. She swallows the lump in her throat when she can.

Lord Brauven finishes his caf and dismisses her with a wave of his hand. “Luna will arrange a shuttle home for you.”

Alida sets the mug down and does her best not to sprint for the door. She doesn’t want to risk him changing his mind. He’s strange and even if he was trying to help Phila, he’s still a Sith acting for his own reasons. It’d be stupid to get complacent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're almost done. 
> 
> I have... * _counts on fingers_ * 3 alternate universe stories from this that are complete and a fourth one that I'm currently working on that is an AU strictly of The Fox and the Hound, but is AU with a trope rather than just different events at some point in the past timeline.
> 
> Ideas, thoughts, preferences?


	5. Protection

Lord Aucht sprints up the shuttle ramp and grabs Alida the moment the airlock opens. “You  _ stupid _ girl. I didn’t spend years trying to save Cassandra only to lose my other daughter.”

“You- Oh.” Alida presses her face into his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“I don’t just come here for fun, Ali.”

“I just thought- My power is so strong. I needed better training than the others.” 

Aucht stroke a hand over her hair. “Come on, be grateful he sent you back before Na’li’a found out.” He pulls away and kisses her forehead. “We have a lot to discuss.”

Alida sniffs. “I couldn’t risk losing Phila. You were going to let him take her.”

Aucht put his hand on her back and gently started guiding her out of the spaceport. “I couldn’t use my powers on Brauven, but I could control his assistants. If he’d tried to hurt her, they would have killed him.”

“But why let him take her in the first place?”

“If I’d killed him here, his people would have come to investigate. I care about Phila. I didn’t want anything to happen to her, but I couldn’t put her life ahead of everyone else here. And then  _ you _ …”

Alida lets him scold her all of the way to his office. She knows Aucht loves his theatrics and he’ll be even more cross if she doesn’t let him rant. She’d always felt comforted by his anger and thought it was the twisted result of being held captive by a Sith when she was a baby. Alida feels a little stupid, of course she was responding to parental affection, strange as it was.

When Aucht gets her into his office he hugs her again before forcibly pushing her onto a couch. “What were you thinking?”

“I was going to use my ability. You said it would work on anyone. He’d forget why he even wanted to come here in the first place.”

Aucht pulls off his gloves and steps towards her. He throws his mask behind him and puts his bare right hand on her forehead. “That Mandalorian is a Conduit. I’ve trained him how to avoid mind tricks. As for Brauven…” He mutters a few words in ancient Sith and the Force reaches out and scrawls a sharp pattern over her nose and cheeks.

“Ow! Unc- Father! What are you doing?”

Aucht pulls his hand away and mutters another spell. The air swirls until it shows a perfect reflection. It shows Alida her face and fresh mirialan clan tattoos. “Those are the marks your mother had.”

Alida gasps and touches her face. “You found her? You know who she was?”

“Dahlia Baker. A simple farmer’s wife who had the misfortune of marrying a Force user. She was killed so he could be recruited. I’m sorry. Brauven doesn’t want you to know, but I don’t particularly care what he wants.”

“He’s my biological father, isn’t he? That’s why my ability didn’t work? You said the old Sith families had curses to keep their heirs from taking over.” Alida holds out her hand.

Aucht takes hold of it and squeezes. “His mind has been severely fractured by the Eye and his gift. He can’t take care of himself, let alone anyone else. He’s barely human. He knows you’re taken care of. He saw my past with you.”

“So what happens now?”

“Life goes on. I’ll make arrangements with those twi’leks. They’ll get whatever they can out of him. I’ll give you whatever of your past I can. If you want to, you can visit him.”

“I… Whatever you think is best. I’m sorry for getting kidnapped.”

Aucht pulls her up to her feet and hugs her again before pushing away and frowning at her. “Go back to the Academy. Phila’s distraught. Then call Na’li’a. She  _ will _ find out what you got yourself kidnapped and she  _ will _ be upset. Better that you tell her yourself.”

“You’re right. Thanks, Dad.”

“At least one of my children is grateful.”

\---

The ground shakes and the sound of lightsabers clashing cuts through the air. Alida sprints through the garden jumps over the hedge wall with more than a little trouble. She’s still pulling twigs out of her hair when she makes it to the clearing.

Malody and Cassandra are caught together, red blades crossed between them. Cassandra’s wearing black and green military-cut battlearmor. Malody is in traditional Sith robes of black and red. They’re both cracking with Force energy and screaming at each other in Sith.

Alida walks towards them almost in a daze.

“Ali, over here,” Avarice shouts with a wave. Her voice is loud and cracks on the last word, but she’s getting better at it.

Alida changes her course and squeezes onto the bench next to Fervor. “What’s going on this time?”

“Sai kriffed Terenti Sokolov,” Aaron says, looking somewhat put out.

“Why does Malody care? I thought she hated him,” Alida says. She reaches over and takes baby Liran from Fervor and starts rocking the girl.

“She does, but he’s proposed a political marriage, so she has dibs,” Avarice answers. 

Aaron sighs. “But I  _ still _ can’t kriff any of you.”

“You say that as if  _ we _ want to kriff  _ you _ and her wish is the only thing holding you back,” Fervor says.

“You have a heart of stone, Fervor. Stone.”

“I’m not included in that list,” Alida says. “But I’m not interested, either.”

Aaron puts a hand over his heart. “You wound me. All of you. And you do so, count. Sai would beat the tar out of  _ you _ for being the favorite if you were a Sith. She just thinks you’re not worth the effort.”

“Oh,  _ thanks _ ,” Alida says, though it makes her smile. She has a family now; she’s had it for years, she was just too focused to notice. She laughs when Liran pulls a twig out of her hair before trying to stick it in her mouth. Alida pulls the stick away and tosses it on the ground before looking back at Cassandra and Malody.

They deactivated their sabers at some point and are now fistfighting with ocassional hair pulling.

Na’li’a comes up behind the group and clicks her tongue. “Those two fighting again. Alright, you lot. Go in and get cleaned up for dinner. I’m going to separate them.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really fond of this idea, but it gets up its own butt too quickly. Additionally, the original incarnation of Brauven's ability is much stronger, but makes him exponentially less sane. 
> 
> It wasn't that he could see someone's entire past, it's that he could see every possible alternate version of anything that happened to him or that he witnessed. This led to him sitting silently for long stretches after hearing a single sentence because he would peruse all versions of that sentence to glean more information.
> 
> In neither case is his mind truly human anymore. It can process information immeasurably quicker because he could comprehend _some_ kinds of nested infinities. I cut it back for this for the purposes of comprehension and so that it could have clearly defined rules and boundaries.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading Legacies! This is the end of the series; I hope you enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last part of the Legacies universe. It's just an extra bit that didn't fit in with the main plot.


End file.
